Himachal Pradesh, in July 2018, announced a ban on the usage of _______, to curb the environmental degradation.

@healinghimalayas

Thermocol Cutlery

Leather shoes

Tobacco

Thermocol Cutlery

To protect the environment from degradation, the government of Himachal Pradesh, announced a ban on the usage of thermocol cutlery, including cups, plates, glasses and spoons or any other item in the state in July 2018. This announcement came into effect after the “Plastic Hatao Himachal Bachao” campaign was launched.

The usage of thermocol cutlery in either private or commercial place is punishable by law and the defaulter would be penalised under the Himachal Pradesh Non-Biodegradable Garbage (control) Act 1995. The hawkers and shopkeepers had been provided with three months time to clear their stock in order to prevent any financial losses to them.

The state earlier had banned the complete use of plastic bags (of any size) in 2009. Around 25 of Indian states and union territories have banned the use of plastic in some way or the other, but the implementation isn’t very convincing. Himachal Pradesh, on the other hand, has implemented its plastic control policies really well.

Controlling plastic waste is the need of the hour since plastic takes more than 500-1000 years to degrade completely and India produces around 55 lakh tonnes of plastic waste every year as of 2018. Although plastics make our lives easier and is generally the most economically viable option, we must try to minimise our plastic footprint to ensure a better, less polluted future.